SCOTTS VALLEY -- The head of a consulting group that specializes in analyzing and streamlining public agency operations took over this week as interim general manager for the Scotts Valley Water District.

Robert DeLoach, president of Rancho Cucamonga-based DeLoach & Associates, Inc., was introduced at Wednesday's﻿ Scotts Valley City Council meeting by Jay Mosley, who last week was voted in as president of the district's board of directors. Charlie McNiesh, the former general manager, stepped down last week﻿, but will remain on the payroll through the end of next week. He also remain available in an advisory role on an as-needed basis through the end of June.

Meanwhile, DeLoach will work in the office several days each week during the coming months, receiving an expense stipend and hourly salary of $150, until officials tap a permanent replacement, Mosley said.

"The board is really interested in making (the district) a high-performance organization and making everything more efficient," he said, adding DeLoach will be involved in the search process. A transitional ad hoc committee already has been formed, and city officials and community members may be asked to join.

DeLoach was selected among several candidates interviewed at an annual convention in San Diego earlier this month, with his wealth of experience and reorganization skills placing him "a cut above" the rest, Board member Chris Perri said.

"His background in the water industry is pretty stellar and the water district will benefit a lot," Mosley agreed. DeLoach brings decades of experience, with management and administrative positions agencies based in the Los Angeles area, including head of the public works department for the cities of Pomona and Azusa. He also served for 13 years as general manager and CEO of the Cucamonga Valley Water District, successfully turning the agency around, he said, before becoming a consultant.

DeLoach said he is not interested in the permanent general manager position, but the work he performs in the interim role will help the search process along. In the next several months, he said, he will review financial, operational and other documents to determine how the district functions and what can be improved. His findings likely will result in some changes, but at what level remains to be seen.

Among the documents he'll review is a report produced earlier this year by Napa-based Mathis Consulting, whose reputation DeLoach commended. That report, he said, involved compiling information from interviews with the district's roughly 15 employees, who were asked a series of questions aimed at determining the true nature of the district.